What happened
On June 25, 2000, at 17:53, a Jodel D 11 and registered as F-PLUM was involved in a ground accident at Beauvais aerodrome. The aircraft, a homebuilt taildragger, was performing a local flight. During the landing on runway 05, the pilot experienced a slight bounce caused by an excessive approach speed. Following the landing, the pilot attempted to vacate the runway via a taxiway located approximately 380 meters left of the runway threshold.
As the aircraft entered the taxiway, the pilot lost control of the plane. The aircraft performed a right-hand turn followed by a lateral skid. During this maneuver, the main landing gear legs buckled, and the propeller struck the ground, causing the aircraft to come to a halt. There were two persons on board, both of whom escaped without injury.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events during the landing and the subsequent runway exit. Investigators reviewed the pilot's flight experience, noting that while the pilot had 445 total flight hours, they had only accumulated four hours of experience on tailwheel aircraft and had only begun training on the Jodel D 119 the previous day. The investigation also examined the environmental conditions, which were favorable, with visibility exceeding 10 km and winds at 020 degrees at 9 knots.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a high-speed turn on the ground while exiting the runway.
- The pilot's approach speed was too high, leading to a bounce upon touchdown.
- The pilot lacked significant experience with tailwheel-type aircraft, having only four hours of flight time on such types.